Melissa Rose is a multidisciplinary artist & curator from the North Fork of Long Island. Her work primarily focuses on sacred geometry with an emphasis on aquatic life, flora & fauna. Professional bug whisperer and sunset princess. Capturing all of the magic within the universe.
She studied Fine Arts and Bio Art at the School of Visual Arts and is currently managing the galleries and social media for the East End Arts & Humanities Council.
Aside from her career in visual arts, Melissa is also a trained dancer and self-taught cirque performer, specializing in hoop prop manipulation and fire dancing. While living in NYC she collaborated with Collective BAE and the Junxion team to create immersive art installations at the Elements Music & Arts Festival, featured in Vogue. During this time she was introduced to the world of flow arts by a fellow artist and dear friend, Kat Siegel. From there, she has gone on to perform at various venues for public & private events, and also teaches workshops for beginners.
Photo still from the Cabaret Variety Show at the Guild Hall of East Hampton.
About the Art:
Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated with the tiny universes that exist within our own. I spent a lot of my time flipping rocks over in the backyard to see what creatures emerged, digging through the sand at the beach for the best treasures, talking to the bees and the flowers... not much has changed looking back at it all. I still love to get lost in the dirt and sand.
One of my first experiences developing a relationship with an insect when I found an injured monarch butterfly stuck on the pavement, likely struck by a car and ran over, but still alive. I named him Jeffrey and fed him oranges, nursing him back to health. He would crawl on my face and flutter around our kitchen. He lived for a few months, then died on my birthday. It was a very real loss and I kept him in a box for many years, along with my other treasures. One of my friends at the time said to me, "what's the big deal? It's just a butterfly." Jeffrey was so much more than that though, and the experience of caring for this creature opened up a door of wonder.
Later on in my high school physics class, learning about fractals and entropy, I remember thinking to myself: we are existing in a fractal of sorts. We as humans walk through the forests, just as insects walk through seemingly giant blades of grass. Things started to click.
Are these creatures intelligent? How do they see the world? Why don't people show bugs the same respect as other more "desirable" animals? Why are people so quick to smoosh a bug?
Aside from the contemplations of their consciousness, the ecosystem exists in such a delicate manner. If we cannot exist in harmony with these creatures, with more and more animals and insects becoming endangered and close to extinction, we are not too far behind.
Colony Collapse Disorder was one of the inspirations behind my earlier work. I curated an exhibition titled Colony Collapse in partnership with Chashama and the New York State Council of the Arts in 2017 while attending SVA showcasing a group of artists making work in response to this phenomenon.
While studying the arts in college my ever growing collections primarily served as references for illustrations and paintings. As time continued on some of these precious objects started to become the art itself as I began experimenting more with sculpture and found objects.
This then led to the creation of the Bio-Altar. A living sculpture to honor the living and the dead made of reclaimed wooden clock frames adorned with insect mosaics, snake skin, and other natural treasures. These pieces are able to sustain plant life with installed grow lights.
I also create 2D sculptural work with wood burned stippling patterns of the flower of life and other geometric patterns, preserved insects, and have recently incorporated more aquatic elements like dried seahorses, and horseshoe crab molts. All of my materials are ethically sourced, found naturally passed.
My goal is to show the beauty of nature. To turn fear into wonder. A lot of people don't like bugs, I want to show a different perspective. These creatures are sacred and should be admired and respected.
Following my graduation and eventual return to the North Fork, I connected with a film maker interested in the Brood X Cicada emergence and had the honor of being a part of this piece of history. Watch the documentary here.